You are familiar with candles and how they burn. But a lot of things happen in and around a burning candle that isn’t visible to the naked eye. Scientifically speaking, candles, when burning, convert chemical energy into thermal and radiant energy. But what type of energy is a burning candle itself?

In this article, we’ll explain in detail the characteristics of energy in a burning candle and the chemical energy combustion process. Let’s start.

Types of Energy in a Burning Candle

Before jumping into what type of energy a burning candle is, let’s discuss in brief how energy converts in the first place.

How Energy Transforms and Transfers

Energy conversion or transformation is the natural process where energy changes from one form to another. According to the law of conversion of energy, energy, although transferable, cannot be created or destroyed. 

For example, when wood is burnt, the chemical energy contained within the wood gets released as heat due to the chemical interaction between wood and oxygen. This particular chemical process is referred to as combustion and can only happen when oxygen is present. Combustion effectively transforms the stored chemical energy within the wood into both heat and light energy.

Energy Transformation in a Burning Candle

Similar to wood, a burning candle produces both heat and light through combustion. Combustion in a burning candle releases heat and light energy. It happens when the wax reacts with oxygen, which results in the production of heat, light, water vapor, and carbon dioxide. The heat energy is useful for various purposes, while the light energy is emitted by the incandescent flame caused by the combustion process.

Other Types of Energy in a Burning Candle

Apart from heat and light, some other energy transformations occur when a candle burns. They are:

• A small amount of sound when the wick and wax burn
• Kinetic energy, when the melting wax rolls
• Surface energy, is when the molten wax interacts with the air.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions and Answers)

Is a burning candle kinetic or potential energy?

It’s potential energy, turning into heat energy when its burning.

Is burning a candle a chemical or physical reaction?

The burning process of a candle is a chemical reaction. However, the evaporation of melted was is a physical reaction.

Is a candle electromagnetic energy?

A burning candle releases energy in the form of photons, which are particles of electromagnetic waves in the light spectrum. So, yes, candles are electromagnetic energy.

What source of light is a candle?

A burning candle is a source of artificial light. Because it is a light source created by humans.

Final Thoughts

It requires a chemical reaction for combustion to occur. So, when a candle burns, the combustion process turns the melting candle into hydrocarbon molecules that burn when they get in touch with oxygen from the atmosphere. This releases heat and light. This is very similar to burning wood and other combustible matters. As a byproduct, combustion releases small particles which pollute indoor air.